If you are new to St Lucie Public Schools,
click "New to the District" above to access
all you need to know to get your child registered
and find out important information about our
schools and processes.

Tip Sheets

Digital Relationships

Teens are living out romantic relationships online – flirting, fighting, breaking up, and making up. Online talk can be a healthy and even powerful way for some teens to get closer to others, but what happens when relationships get rocky? Couples might trade public insults through texts, Facebook status updates, and other social media posts. This situation may even worsen when couples break up, especially if the breakup is nasty or done with an impersonal text or email. Some teenage relationships can become manipulative and controlling, especially when teens use digital devices at their disposal to act out. A few texts a day can turn into a few hundred. Relentless and unreasonable demands escalate. The abuser presses for things like the other person’s passwords (so they can check up on them) and sexy photos, and forces their significant other to de-friend people they don’t like.

Parents and educators can support and protect teens against such digital drama and abuse by providing guidance on how to establish appropriate boundaries for relationships and by encouraging them to take steps to protect their digital domain.

Trust your instincts. If you don’t like or feel threatened by something in a text, IM, or anywhere online, tell an adult and report threats to site administrators. Click here for a full list of social media site administrators.

Don’t settle and accept relationships or friendships that don’t give you any breathing room. If your inboxes are overflowing with unwanted messages, take control. Delete, de-friend, and defend your domain.

If one of your friends is dealing with harassment from a classmate, stranger, or crush, show your friend that you are someone to depend on.

Be part of the solution. No matter how large or small, every action you take to increase awareness of this issue is an important step.